Legal Manager

Legal Manager: Corporate – Renewable Energy | Cape Town Copper Quail is recruiting for one of South Africa's leading IPPs — a serious player in utility-scale renewables with an active deal pipeline and a growing asset portfolio. This is a senior in-house role for a corporate commercial lawyer who wants to sit where the transactions happen. You'll lead the legal side of M&A, project acquisitions and disposals, corporate finance and energy trading — advising the senior team directly and running your own calls on structure, risk and execution. What you'll be doing (overview — not the full picture): Leading legal workstreams on M&A, disposals, restructures, JVs and project transactions — SPAs, subscription agreements, SHAs, JDAs Supporting corporate finance: funding, equity investments, refinancing and security documentation Acting as primary legal advisor to the Sales and Trading teams — electricity trading, aggregation, virtual wheeling and grid-related commercial arrangements Overseeing corporate governance, compliance and the Group Company Secretary function Managing trust and SPV structures, including an employee ownership trust Leading commercial contracting across the Group and managing external counsel Mentoring a small legal team (3–5) The basics: LLB and admitted attorney 8–10 years post-qualification experience in corporate commercial law Proven negotiator on complex, high-value transactions Renewable energy sector experience gets you to the front of the queue Worth knowing: This is a role with real decision-making authority — you interpret, you advise, you approve within mandate. Fast-paced environment, tight deadlines, complex deals. If you need external counsel to hold your hand, this isn't it.